Guild News Blog

Copyright Registration Fees are Increasing March 20

The Copyright Office has announced that the fees for copyright registration applications most used by graphic artists will be going up on March 20....

24 February, 2020

Conversations on Diversity in Design

February being Black History Month, we think its a good time to talk about diversity in the world of graphic arts. ...

14 February, 2020

California’s AB5 Bill and the Unintended Consequences for Freelancers

California’s AB5 attempts to address labor issues for gig-economy workers, but has resulted in companies being reluctant to hire independent contractors....

29 January, 2020

Protect Yourself from Scams: Tips on Best Business Practices

Learn how to identify third-party and job opportunity scams....

28 January, 2020

Amicus Brief: Court Awards an Infringer Legal Fees Based on Technical Defense

A Ninth Circuit court decision awarded attorney’s fees to an infringer who prevailed on a technical defense....

17 January, 2020

We’ve Been Busy! 2019 Recap of Guild Activities

Events, meetings, webinars, live chats: advocating for the CASE Act wasn't the only thing we did in 2020!...

12 January, 2020

Thousands of Copyrighted Works Enter the Public Domain

In 2020, a trove of works from 1924 have entered public domain...

04 January, 2020

Maria Strong Appointed Acting Register of Copyrights

Maria Strong will head the Copyright Office while a replacement for Karen Temple is sought....

23 December, 2019

One Senator Is Holding Up Access to Justice for Creators

Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon put a hold on the bill in November, and talks to resolve his concerns have stalled....

20 December, 2019

Ico-D Best Practices for Design Competitions

ico-D has published greatly revised best practice papers on organizing a design competition and on serving as a juror for a design award....

07 December, 2019

Affinity Publisher: An Alternative to Creative Cloud

With cutting edge tools such as StudioLink, Affinity Publisher is an affordable competitor to Adobe InDesign....

18 November, 2019

National Board of Directors Hold Landmark In-Person Meeting

The Guild National Board met in October for the first in-person annual meeting in which ExComm At Large Directors were elected by the regional reps....

07 November, 2019

Meet Your New National Executive Committee Members

This October, under our new Constitution, for the first time our regional reps elected the ExComm At Large Directors....

02 November, 2019

New Regional Reps: Fresh Talent, Fresh Energy!

After our first election under our new Guild Constitution, we're excited to announce the election of our Regional Reps!...

30 October, 2019

Affinity Photo: An Alternative to Creative Cloud

Affinity Photo works well as a photo retouching or image creation tool, but lacks the workflow management tools Adobe provides in Lightroom and Bridge....

23 October, 2019

The Graphic Artists Guild Applauds the House Passage of The CASE Act

The Graphic Artists Guilds applauds the passage of H.R. 2426, the Copyright Alternative in Small-claims Enforcement Act (CASE Act) by the full House....

23 October, 2019

Grassroots Power: Show your Support!

Send a photo to your Members of Congress showing that you support The CASE Act. ...

23 October, 2019

Design Weeks: Local Outreach, Local Support

The Guild's sponsorship of small design weeks gives us good insight into local design communities....

15 October, 2019

Affinity Designer: An Alternative to Creative Cloud

Affinity describes Designer, their drawing program, as a “stripped back, pro-end workhorse”....

30 September, 2019

Trupo Extends Freelancer Benefits to New Jersey

Trupo has extended its supplemental benefits program for freelancers to New Jersey....

26 September, 2019

Grievance Assistance for Guild Members Relaunched

Guild members with a client grievance are welcome to submit an application to receive peer advice and support....

19 September, 2019

The CASE Act Passes the House Judiciary Committee

The House Judiciary Committee passed H.R. 2426, The CASE Act, late on September 10th....

12 September, 2019

On to the Full House and Senate! Ask Congress (Again and Again) to Support The CASE Act

With Congress back from their summer break, now is the time to contact your Senators and Representative and ask them to support The CASE Act. ...

12 September, 2019

Graphic Artists Guild Thanks the House Judiciary Committee for Passing The CASE Act

The Guild thanks the House Judiciary Committee for passing HR 2426, The CASE Act, out of committee by voice vote with no dissensions. The Bill now proceeds to the full House for consideration....

11 September, 2019

Restore Respect for Artists’ Work by Giving Them Easier Legal Recourse

It’s not easy making a living as an artist when people feel entitled to simply grab your work and use it without paying....

09 September, 2019

Crunch Time: Ask Congress to Support The CASE Act!

With Congress back from their summer break, now is the time to contact your Senators and Representative and ask them to support The CASE Act. ...

29 August, 2019

Free Adobe Software Alternatives

There are a few free alternatives to Creative Cloud which, while unable to offer all that Adobe can, are still worth checking out. ...

28 August, 2019

How the CASE Act Will Work: Step by Step

From filing a claim to final decision, using small copyright claim process is relatively simple....

27 August, 2019

The Guild Joins NPPA and ASMP Amicus Brief on Copyright Infringement by States

The Guild joined an amicus brief authored by ASMP and NPPA in a lawsuit before the Supreme Court addressing copyrights and state sovereign immunity....

15 August, 2019

Eastern Region, ASMP-NY, and Authors Guild Hosted a Creators Get-Together

Sponsored by Trupo, the event brought illustrators, photographers, designers, writers, and others together for the first joint social event....

12 August, 2019

Roadtrip Recap: The Guild on Capitol Hill

Four Guild board members joined other creators in Washington DC to advocate for The CASE Act and attend the Senate Judiciary Hearing on the Bill....

31 July, 2019

The Guild Partners with Trupo in Providing Benefits Packages to Freelancers

The Guild has partnered with Trupo in providing benefits packages for freelencers that usually only full-timers receive. ...

30 July, 2019

Graphic Designer Dawn’s Story: Why We Need the CASE Act

An designer’s clients are using her copyrighted work and refusing to pay their invoices....

27 July, 2019

Adobe Litigation Woes Affect Creative Suite Users

Adobe's recent decision to limit Creative Cloud users to the most recent versions seem to be a response to ongoing litigation, and reveal an uncomfortable truth about software licensing....

22 July, 2019

The Senate Judiciary Committee Passes The CASE Act

The Graphic Artists Guild applauds the Senate Judiciary Committee for passing S 1273, The CASE Act (The Copyright Alternative in Small Claims Enforcement Act of 2019), through markup....

19 July, 2019

Illustrator Arthur’s Story: Why We Need the CASE Act

An illustrator discovered his Broadway production artwork was being used without his knowledge by small theaters nationwide....

27 June, 2019

Pepe the Frog Creator Settles with Alex Jones in Copyright Infringement

Artist Matt Furie has settled his copyright infringement lawsuit with Infowars founder Alex Jones for $15,000....

20 June, 2019

In a Blow to Creators, Takings Clause Lawsuit is Dismissed in Copyright Case

The First District Court of Appeals in Houston has ruled that a photographer is unable to sue under the Takings Clause....

18 June, 2019

Takings Clause Invoked to Address Copyright Infringement by State Agency

Photographer Jim Olive discovered an alternate way to demand payment for a copyright infringement: through the Takings Clause....

22 May, 2019

Court of Appeals Throws Out Faulty Fair Use Verdict

On April 26, 2019 the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court finding of fair use in Brammer versus Violent Hues Productions. ...

11 May, 2019

Celebrating Women Designers on World Design Day 2019

On April 27, ico-D challenged us to celebrate Women in Design for World Design Day 2019....

10 May, 2019

Take Action: What is The CASE Act, and How Can You Support It

We’re asking everyone who supports fairness in copyright to help us make a splash. Now is the time to contact your Representatives and ask them to support H.R. 3945, CASE Act. ...

08 May, 2019

IAF Panel: Authors Rights Issues from “Across the Pond”

The Guild participated in a panel discussion on authors’ rights and copyright issues conducted by the International Authors Forum (IAF) in New York City....

06 May, 2019

The Guild Welcomes the Introduction of The CASE Act into the House and Senate

The Graphic Artists Guild applauds the introduction of The Copyright Alternative in Small Claims Enforcement Act (CASE Act into the House of Representatives, and for the first time into the Senate....

01 May, 2019

Ico-D on Fiverr and the Gig Economy

ico-D published an article exposing Fiverr’s business model, explaining why the idea of partnership with the platform is so antithetical to ico-D’s core mission. ...

02 April, 2019

Karyn Temple Named Register of Copyrights

The Graphic Artists Guild welcomes the appointment of Karen Temple as the Register of Copyrights. ...

30 March, 2019

Social Media Rights Grab at The Vessel Represents a New Low

Hudson Yards created controversy by stating it has the right to use and license any photographs, text, video, or sound recordings “depicting or related to” a structure open to the public, The Vessel....

25 March, 2019

Supreme Court Rules That Registration Certificate Must Precede Infringement Lawsuit

The Supreme Court has held that a copyright registration only occurs after the Copyright Office approves the registration; only then can the copyright holder bring an infringement lawsuit. ...

16 March, 2019

Copyright Office Replaces Unpublished Collection Registration Option with Group Registration of Unpublished Works

Creators have until March 15, 2019 to register large collections of unregistered works....

11 March, 2019

SPGA Archives Accepted by the Tacoma Public Library

After the death of Society of Professional Graphic Artists (SPGA) unofficial historian, Dan Ballard, the Northwest Room of the Tacoma Public Library accepted his archives....

15 February, 2019

Realizing a Dream: The First Thirty Years of the Graphic Artists Guild

Twenty years ago, for the 30th anniversary of the Guild, member Dan Ballard pulled together a brief history of the early years. ...

10 February, 2019

Update on the CASE Act: How We Ended 2018 and Next Steps

Although The CASE Act expired in December with no bill signed into law, our advocacy efforts on behalf of the bill weren't in vain. We got the attention of lawmakers, and expect the Act to be reintroduced this year...

01 February, 2019

50 Years and Counting: Past and Current Leadership Meet to Celebrate

In early December, the Guild celebrated our 50th anniversary in a gala which brought together past and current leadership....

25 January, 2019

Copyright Office Submits Letter to Congress on Copyright Issues for Visual Artists

On January 18, the Copyright Office submitted a letter to the House and Senate Judiciary Committee Leaderships focusing on the concerns visual artists have with the copyright system. ...

25 January, 2019

Guild Responds to Copyright Office Inquiry on Modernization

The Graphic Artists Guild responded to the Copyright Office’s Notice of Inquiry (NOI) on Registration Modernization, with comments focused on the particular concerns of illustrators and designers....

16 January, 2019

Update on The CASE Act: Advocating for a Copyright Small Claims Process

The Guild joined representatives from \visual artist associations for Congressional visits in January and in April in support of The CASE Act. ...

30 April, 2018

A Year with the ADAA, Part 2: Mentoring an ADAA Winner

A few months after judging the ADAA winners, Theresa Whitehill was asked to mentor one of the student finalists, Martin Hoang. ...

19 April, 2018

15th Edition of the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines Published

The latest edition was released in early April and features a greatly reworked chapter on Surface Pattern Design....

16 April, 2018

Take Action: Let Congress Know You Support Copyright Small Claims Reform

We’re asking everyone to contact your Representatives and ask them to support H.R. 3945, CASE Act. ...

03 April, 2018

KODAKOne Uses Blockchain Technology and Cryptocurrency to Manage Image Rights

\KODAKOne will utilize blockchain technology to permit photographers to register, manage, archive, and monetize their images seamlessly from a single platform. ...

15 March, 2018

There’s Work to Do on Copyright Small Claims

The CASE Act (H.R. 3945) is widely supported, but we need creators to help move it forward....

18 January, 2018

Good News! WordPress Will Be A Lot Easier To Use In 2018

WordPress will be rolling out the new content creator known as Gutenberg. ...

18 January, 2018

Space Exploration Posters, Courtesy of the Jet Propulsion Lab

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab gave us all a lovely holiday gift: a series of space exploration posters, free for downloading and printing. ...

28 December, 2017

Health Insurance Options, Now That the Federal Enrollment Period is Over

If you missed the enrollment period for the federal exchange, you may still have options to get coverage at HealthCare.gov. ...

19 December, 2017

The Guild Joins Visual Artists for a December Lobbying Visit

On December 4-5, the Guild joined our Coalition of Visual Artists for a trip to Capitol Hill to lobby on behalf of graphic artists in support of the CASE Act. ...

08 December, 2017

Guild Responds to Copyright Office Request on Group Registrations

The Graphic Artists Guild has submitted a response to a proposed rulemaking by the Copyright Office on Group Registrations of Unpublished Works. ...

01 December, 2017

What To Do If You Think Your Client’s WordPress Site’s Been Hacked

The frantic email, text, or call always comes at a bad time. Your client thinks their site's been hacked. What are you going to do?...

21 November, 2017

Montreal Design Declaration: “All People Deserve to Live in a Well-Designed World”

On October 24, representatives from 14 international associations challenged designers, educators, governments, and the private sector to work collaboratively....

14 November, 2017

From Design Certification to National Design Policies

ico-D’s annual Platform Meeting took place October 13 and 14 in Montréal, Canada this year, and Rebecca Blake represented the Guild....

30 October, 2017

Spreading Wings: from the Guild to the ico-D Board

The Graphic Artists Guild’s Advocacy Liaison Rebecca Blake was elected to the ico-D Executive Committee October 16th and will serve as International Treasurer....

24 October, 2017

A Meeting of (Like) Minds: Guild National Board Meeting in Atlanta

The Guild’s National Board returned to its tradition of holding an annual in-person meeting. ...

23 October, 2017

Call to Action: Ask Your Representative to Co-Sponsor Copyright Small Claims Legislation!

The Guild is calling on graphic artists contact their representatives and ask them to support the CASE Act, the Copyright Enforcement in Small Claims Act....

09 October, 2017

The Guild Supports the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act

The Graphic Artists Guild welcomes the introduction of HR 3945, the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2017 or CASE Act. ...

05 October, 2017

The Guild Joins Photographers in Meeting with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries

Guild National President Lara Kisielewska and Advocacy Liaison Rebecca Blake joined representatives from ASMP, NPPA, and APA in meeting Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) September 15th. ...

19 September, 2017

A Year with the ADAA, Part 2: Mentoring an ADAA Finalist

Member Theresa Whitehill continued her experience as an ADAA judge by mentoring one of the student finalists. ...

30 August, 2017

Boston Comic Con & the Cartooning Industry: A Conversation with Mark Slater

New England Regional Representative Mark W. Slater took it upon himself to be the face of the Guild at Boston's Comic Con this year....

21 August, 2017

Graphic Artists Guild Signs on to Copyright Alliance Letter to NAFTA Negotiator Lighthizer

The Guild has signed on to a letter drafted by the Copyright Alliance requesting that NAFTA negotiations address the modernization of the copyright provisions of the agreement....

18 August, 2017

Photographer Impoverished by Copyright Lawsuit Filed on Behalf of Monkeys

In 2015 PETA sued Slater on behalf of one of a macaques, claiming that Slater violated the monkey’s copyright when the “monkey selfie” taken with Slater's camera was included in his self published book....

25 July, 2017

Guild Joins Coalition of Visual Artists for Congressional Visits

On July 20th, the Guild joined members of the Coalition of Visual Artists for productive meetings with Congressional staff on key copyright issues. ...

24 July, 2017

Illustrator and Member Cindy Salans Rosenheim Joins ADAA Judging Panel

Guild member Cindy Salans Rosenheim was asked to join the judging panel for the prestigious Adobe Design Achievements Awards....

14 July, 2017

ICON 10 Education Symposium Call for Abstracts on “Teaching in the Future”

ICON 10, The Illustration Conference, has put out a call for papers to be considered for their Education Symposium taking place next July in Detroit, MI. ...

30 June, 2017

Metro-NY Artists: Pro-Bono Legal Assistance for Copyright Disputes

The Copyright Alliance has partnered to provide pro-bono trial services for individuals and small businesses involved in copyright disputes in New York City. ...

27 June, 2017

A Year with the ADAA, Part 1: Judging the Adobe Design Achievement Awards

Theresa Whitehill of Colored Horse Studio reflects on her experience as a judge of the Adobe Design Achievement Awards....

24 June, 2017

Creating Unity Through Color Editing

Proper color editing of webpage images is a step most web designers overlook, to their detriment....

22 June, 2017

“First Expressed in Nature”: Science Illustrator Pieter Folkens Raises Copyright Concerns

Science illustrator Pieter Folkens is a renowned marine mammal artist and the creator of created animatronics used in films such as “Free Willy”....

24 May, 2017

NEA Granted a Reprieve; Arts Advocates Gear Up for the Longer Fight

Arts advocates were appalled when the budget proposed by the Trump transition team called for eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts, along with steep cuts to other cultural and social programs. ...

12 May, 2017

The Guild Supports S.1010, “The Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act”

The Graphic Artists Guild applauds the introduction of “The Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act” into the Senate as S.1010....

05 May, 2017

Comic Artist Turned Away at US Border for Carrying Work in Progress

On April 20th, Canadian Marvel comic book artist Gisele Lagace was denied entry to the United States when attempting to cross the border to attend Chicago’s C2E2 comic convention. ...

24 April, 2017

Contact your Representative and ask them to vote YES on H.R. 1695

We’re calling upon visual artists and those who support a vibrant creative community to contact their representatives and ask them to support H.R. 1695. ...

21 April, 2017

Copyright Office Modernization: Through an Artist’s Lens

To help facilitate the marketplace for creative works, visual artists have long called for modernizing the US Copyright Office....

21 April, 2017

Urban Outfitters Loses Appeal of Copyright Infringement Case, to the Tune of $530,000

Urban Outfitters lost its appeal of a district court jury decision that found the company guilty of willful infringement, and has been ordered to pay $530,000....

07 April, 2017

Fake Flash Player Targets Apple Users and WP Engine Clients

Currently, a fake Flash Player scam is targeting visitors and users of the popular WordPress hosting platform WP Engine by taking advantage a common typo of the company URL. ...

05 April, 2017

The Guild Applauds the Introduction of the “Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act”

The Graphic Artists Guild applauds the introduction of H.R. 1695, the “Register of Copyright Selection and Accountability Act of 2017,” on March 23. ...

27 March, 2017

Doubleday Solicits Free Labor on Bestselling Author’s Book Cover

Doubleday’s current book cover contest has hit the usual nerves in the design and illustration communities. ...

21 March, 2017

Adobe Design Achievement Awards Student Competition is Open

The annual Adobe Design Achievement Awards global student competition is again open. ...

15 March, 2017

International Women’s Day Yields Treasure Troves of Work by Women

International Women’s Day was marked by a number of blogs and websites with comprehensive reviews of work by women visual artists....

13 March, 2017

New Copyright Office Website: Responsive in More Ways than One

On March 1st, the Copyright Office launched its new website – a huge improvement over the previous iteration....

06 March, 2017

Logobook: Inspiration in Black and White

A new compendium of logos has been published online: Logobook. Each logo is presented only in solid black and white, permitting viewers to focus on the design and to easily compare logos....

28 February, 2017

Copyrightlaws.com Sheds Light on Moral Rights in the United States

In light of the Copyright Office’s Notice of Inquiry (NOI) on Moral Rights, Copyrightlaws.com has done us all a favor in posting their article, “Moral Rights in US Copyright Law.”...

16 February, 2017

Elevating “Real” News Through Web Typography

During the Poynter Digital Design Challenge, Jeffrey Zeldman went after what he described as low-hanging fruit: the website typography....

06 February, 2017